Phosphodiesterase (PDE, cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase) is a superfamily of enzymes encoded by 21 different genes. To date, eleven phosphodiesterases have been identified in mammals, based on structural/functional characteristics such as amino acid sequence homology, biochemical properties, and characterization using inhibitors (Non Patent Literatures 1 and 2).
The role of the PDE in cell signaling cascade is to hydrolyze the phosphodiester bond of cyclic nucleotides, adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) and/or guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), that is to say, to selectively catalyze the hydrolysis of a 3′-ester bond so as to form inactive 5′-monophosphoric acid so as to metabolically inactivate the cyclic nucleotides.
The eleven PDE families are classified into three groups, namely, cAMP-specific PDEs (PDE 4, 7, and 8), cGMP-specific PDEs (PDE 5, 6, and 9), and double substrate PDEs (PDE 1, 2, 3, 10, and 11) (Non Patent Literatures 3 and 4) based on substrate specificity.
Since cAMP and cGMP are important second messengers in intracellular signaling via G protein coupled receptors (GPCR), PDEs are involved in a wide range of physiological mechanisms and play an important role in the homeostasis of organisms. Specifically, PDEs are related to various physiological processes such as generation of proinflammatory mediators and the action thereof, ion channel function, muscle relaxation, learning and memory formation, differentiation, apoptosis, lipogenesis, glycogenolysis, and gluconeogenesis. Particularly, in nerve cells, PDEs play an important role in the differentiation and survival of nerve cells and the regulation of neurotransmission (Non Patent Literature 5).
Regulation of these processes by cAMP and cGMP is related to activation of protein kinase A (PKA) and protein kinase G (PKG), and thus, various substrates that regulate various physiological processes, such as transcriptional factors, ion channels, and receptors, are phosphorylated. The intracellular levels of cAMP and cGMP are fluctuated in response to extracellular signals, and are regulated based on the balance between enzymes involved in the synthesis of cAMP and cGMP (adenyl cyclase (AC) and guanyl cyclase (GC)), and PDEs involved in the hydrolysis of these enzymes (Non Patent Literature 6).
The presence of PDE10 in humans, mice, and rats was reported in 1999 (Non Patent Literatures 7 and 8). PDE10 is mainly expressed in the brain, testis, thyroid gland, and the like in humans. In particular, PDE10 is highly expressed in medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs) in the corpus striatum of the brain, and is moderately expressed in the thalamus, hippocampus, frontal cortex, and olfactory tubercle (Non Patent Literatures 9 and 10). In addition, PDE10 is highly expressed in the brain and testis also in mice and rats (Non Patent Literature 11). Since the brain sites where PDE10 is expressed play an important role in the pathological mechanism of mental diseases, it has been suggested that PDE10 is involved in the pathological mechanism of mental disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and the like (Non Patent Literature 12).
There are two types of MSN, namely, MSN that mainly expresses D1 dopamine receptors and forms a nigrostriatal pathway (direct pathway) and MSN that mainly expresses D2 dopamine receptors and forms a striatum-globus pallidus pathway (indirect pathway). The direct pathway is involved in the functions of motor execution and reward learning, and the indirect pathway is involved in the suppression of movement. For example, deterioration of movements in Parkinson's disease is caused by excessive action of the indirect pathway, and excessive movements observed in disorders such as Huntington's disease are caused by excessive action of the direct pathway. The activity of the output nucleus of the basal ganglia is regulated by the balance between antagonistic inputs from these two types of pathways. Since PDE10 is expressed in MSNs in both pathways, both pathways are considered to be activated by inhibition of PDE 10 (Non Patent Literature 13).
The existing antipsychotic agents are mainly D2 receptor blocking agents, and are mainly mediated by activation of the indirect pathway. On the other hand, PDE10 is expressed in both MSNs in the direct pathway and the indirect pathway, and thus, a PDE10 inhibitor is expected to have the same antipsychotic action as that of the existing agents. Since the direct pathway is involved in motor execution, the direct pathway is considered to antagonistically act against extrapyramidal disorder caused by excessive activation of the indirect pathway. Moreover, it can also be expected that the direct pathway has action to reinforce the output from the corpus striatum-thalamus circuit and to promote cognitive function such as reward learning or problem solving.
As a result of an increase in the intracellular cAMP level by activation of the D1 receptor, a series of neurites involved in working memory in the prefrontal cortex are likely to be regulated (Non Patent Literature 14). Furthermore, it has been reported that working memory deficits of schizophrenia patients may be improved by activation of the D1 receptor (Non Patent Literature 15). Accordingly, it can be anticipated that the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia will be improved by activation of the D1 receptor.
Potential antipsychotic action of a PDE10 inhibitor has been attested by the study of Kostowski et al. (Non Patent Literature 16). According to U.S. Patent Application No. 2003/0032579, papaverine a PDE10 inhibitor having a moderate selectivity decreases apomorphine-induced stereotypy in rats which is an animal model of psychosis, and increases haloperidol-induced catalepsy in rat, and at the same time, papaverine also decreases the dopamine level in the rat brain and has conventional action as an antipsychotic agent. Further, the antipsychotic action of papaverine has been also proved by the application thereof to patients, and papaverine has been established as a PDE10 inhibitor for the treatment of psychosis (Patent Literature 1).
With regard to compounds having PDE10 inhibitory effect (PDE10 inhibitors), there are the following reports. For instance, International Publication No. WO2005/082883 (Patent Literature 2) and European Patent Application No. 1250923 (Patent Literature 3) disclose, as PDE10 inhibitors, papaverine (isoquinoline alkaloid contained in Papaver plants) and various types of aromatic heterocyclic compounds (quinazoline and isoquinazoline compounds, etc.). In addition, it has also been disclosed that the PDE10 inhibitor is useful for treating or preventing diseases or symptoms, such as mental disorder (e.g. schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, paranoid disorder, substance-induced psychosis, paranoic personality disorder, and schizophrenic personality disorder), anxiety disorder (e.g. panic disorder, agoraphobia, specific phobias, anthropophobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder), motor disorder (e.g. Huntington's disease, dyskinesia associated with dopamine agonist therapy, Parkinson's disease, and restless legs syndrome), drug dependence (e.g. alcohol, amphetamine, cocaine or opiate addiction), diseases attended with the symptoms of cognitive disorder (e.g. dementia (Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct dementia, etc.), delirium, amnestic defect, posttraumatic stress disorder, mental retardation, learning disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and age-related cognitive function reduction), and mood disorder (e.g. major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, minor depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder (bipolar disorder type I and bipolar disorder type II), and cyclothymic disorder), or mood symptoms (e.g. major depressive episode, manic or mixed affective episode, and hypomanic episode). Moreover, it has also been disclosed that the PDE10 inhibitor is useful for treating or preventing neurodegenerative disease (e.g. Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease).
The publication of Menniti et al. reports that the PDE10 inhibitor has a potential as an antipsychotic agent and also has a potential for improving cognitive function disorder in schizophrenia (Non Patent Literature 17).
International Publication No. WO2003/000693 discloses an imidazotriazine compound as a PDE10 inhibitor, and that the PDE10 inhibitor is useful for treating or preventing neurodegenerative diseases (in particular, Parkinson's disease) (Patent Literature 4).
As described above, it is anticipated that the PDE10 inhibitor can be a therapeutic agent with reduced adverse drug reactions, which is useful for treating and/or preventing mental disorders related to PDE10 (e.g. (1) paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, undifferentiated, or residual schizophrenia, (2) schizophreniform disorder, (3) paranoid or depressive schizoaffective disorder, (4) paranoid disorder, (5) substance-induced mental disorder, for example, psychosis induced by alcohol, amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine, a hallucinatory drug, an inhalant, opioid, or phencyclidine, (6) paranoic personality disorder, and (7) schizotypal personality disorder); neurodegenerative disorders related to PDE10 (e.g. (1) Parkinson's disease, (2) Huntington's disease, (3) dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct dementia, AIDS-related dementia, and frontotemporal dementia, (4) neurodegeneration associated with brain damage, (5) neurodegeneration associated with stroke and neurodegeneration associated with cerebral infarction, (6) hypoglycemia-induced neurodegeneration, (7) neurodegeneration associated with epileptic seizure, (8) neurodegeneration associated with neurotoxic addiction, (9) multiple system atrophy, and (10) neurodegeneration of striatal medium-sized spiny neurons); and the like.
International Publication No. WO2006/0072828 (Patent Literature 5) discloses, as a PDE10 inhibitors, compounds having a 1-methyl-4-heteroarylpyrazole structure as a partial structure thereof. However, this structure is different from the structure of the compound in the present invention.
International Publication No. WO2011/036127 (Patent Literature 6), International Publication No. WO2011/154327 (Patent Literature 7), and International Publication No. WO2012/076430 (Patent Literature 8) disclose compounds having a pyrazole-5-carboxylic acid amide structure as a PDE10 inhibitors. However, the structures of the compounds of Patent Literatures 6, 7, and 8 are all different from the structure of the compound in the present invention in that the compounds of Patent Literatures 6 and 8 have a dicarboxylic acid amide structure and in that the compound of Patent Literature 7 is a carboxylic acid amide of 7-aminoimidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine.